Pressure sealing construction



Oct. 28, 1952 R. 1.. SKINNER 2,615,761

PRESSURE SEALING CONSTRUCTION Filed March 29, 1946 Patented Oct. 2 8, 1952 PREssUnE SEALING CONSTRUCTION Ralph, L. Skinner;Detroit Mich; assignor, by mesne assignments, to Robertshawp-Fulton Controls Company, Greensburg, Pa., a corporation ofv Delaware ,finp iicationiu r u 29,1946,SerialNo.658,256 s -s 1 8 Claims. (01. ans-3.5)

The present invention concerns certain valuable and serviceable improvements in fluid-pressure sealing-means between relatively movable interfitting members particularly, but not necessarily exclusively, in appliances or structures designed or intended to be used for absorbing shocks or strains, an example of which would be the struts-of airplane landing-wheels, or recoil mechanisms for artillery, etc.

In such and similar sealing-means subjected more or less to sidewise forces and pressures, the sealing structure is likely to wear unevenly and leak unduly early, and the present novel invention is designed and adapted to negative or neutralize such detrimental and destructive effects in substantial measure.

Among the objects of this invention may be stated the provision of means to seal fluid-pressure in a manner to perform such functionior afford such service effectively and emciently by means of constructions which are not unduly complicated, which are relatively economical to produce, which are unlikely to become injured or damaged in ordinary service, and which possesses reasonably long life.

To permit those acquainted with or skilled in this art to readily comprehend the structural and functional benefits accruing from the employment of this invention, a present preferred embodiment thereof has been illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, and to which reference should be had in connection with the following detailed description, like parts of the structure, as shown in the views of the drawing, forease and-simplicity, having been supplied with the same reference numerals.

In this drawing:

Figure l is a, partial section through a cylinderbearing and its piston or plunger incorporating this invention; and 1 Y e Figure 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary portion of Figure 1.

Referring to this drawing, it wil1 be noted that a bearing-member H is threaded intothe; end-' portion of the housing or cylinder I! of any piston or plunger type of shock-absorbing means, such for example, as a. 105 mm. recoil mechanism, the inner cylindrical surface of such bearing being concentric with that of the cylinder [2, the wear resulting from the pressure of holding the piston l3 occupying the bearing in alignment coming directly on the internal surface of the bearing.

After this surface has become worn, due to anylateral movement it maytake. i i

more or less constant relativei the piston or plunger :l3 and the .bearing ll, it

becomes somewhat eccentric in shape, and,.in pressure-seals that havebeen made and used in such relations heretofore, the sealing-reeds have been rigidly fastened in the bearlngrandvin edgewise engagement with the external surface of the plunger or piston,tso that when-thepart H wore this would cause excessive pressureto be exerted on the reed-seal at the point where the most wear had taken place.

Such wear having occurred inthe bearing-surface, there was the chance thatthe reed-seal would not contact properly with the piston and efiect an eiiicient sealing function,and itwas to overcome this outstanding difiiculty that the present novel construction was evolved, this comprising an independent or supplementalbearingmember H of a slightly lessexternal diameter than the inner surface of the cylinder I2 iii-which it fits or which it occupies. I

The object of this diameter-difference,which is indicated at 15, is to permit the seal, which is installed in the cylindento follow-thepiston, or the cylinder if the reverse construction is .employed, in the event. wear or distortion might take place in the supporting member, the seal referred to comprising thin, nested, resilient, truncatedcone reeds it held in place in the, bearing member 14 by an externally-threaded'ring-clampl'l The lengthwise dimension of that partof member [4, characterized as 22 in Figure 1, is slight- -ly less than the distance between th adjacent surface of bearing II and the shoulder designated 23 of cylinder l2 soas to afford thelpressure seal of which the member I4 is a parts, sort a of free floating action, and to prevent the escape of any pressure because of this, the outersurface of member l4 as-shown' is provided'with 3 side but has a loose or floating iit permitting the pressure-seal to conform to any slight lateral movement of the piston or plunger and thus save undue wear on itself without, however, permitting the seal to leak.

Those skilled in and acquainted with this art will readily understand that this invention is not necessarily limited and restricted to the precise and exact details of construction and mode of operation illustrated and described and that rea-- sonable modifications may be resorted to without departure from the heart and essence of the invention, as defined by the appended claims, and

without the loss or sacrifice-of any of its material benefits and advantages.

I claim: 1. A fluid-pressure sustaining. appliancecomprising a cylinder, a bearing screwed into an end of said cylinder, a piston initially fittlng' ac.- curately in said bearing, and a pressure-seal mounted .inssaid: cylinder; alongside said. bearing and: encircling: said piston, saidpressure-seal having as slight play I transversely of the a bearing to.-allow theseal to conformto relative lateral movementzbetween the cylinder and piston,. said pressurezsealincludinga resilient truncated-cone reed-type element surrounding. and edgewise engaging 1 the; piston, said; .pressure seal in addition having. a. gasket=seal between. itself and said bearing, and; another: gasketeseal between itself and said cylinder.

2. The. construction" set. forth in.claim. 1, in which said bearing hasa radial flange bearing againstthetendof said cylinder.

3..A pressure-seaiing construction comprisingrelatively movable inner. and outer. members;. a

sustain wear resulting fromrelative movement betweenthe members; and an annular pressure seaLdisposedin the spa'oejadja cent to, thebearing, said seal 'havingan annular body portion'of greater. internal diameter than the inner: membe and of: lesser: external diameter than said outer member so as: to be free-floating: transversely of the members; resilient,tannular; truncated-cone reed-type. element carried by. the bodyportiorrand inedgewisei engagement with one-of said members; andannular resilient sealing. means. compressed between said body; portion and thesother of'said members.

5. Apressuret-sealing. construction comprising relatively movable inner and outer'members; a bearing interposed between. said. members and snppo'rting one. of themembers during movement thereof; and a free-floating pressure seal mounted between said members at one end of the bearing, said seal having resilient, annular, truncated-cqne, reed-type elements in edgewise engagement with one of said members, annular resilient sealing means compressed between the seal and the other of said members. and other annular resilient" sealing means compressed between the seal and said bearing.

6. A pressure-sealing construction comprising relatively movable concentric inner and outer members-having an annular space therebetween; ran/annular bearing disposed in said space to sustain wearresulting from relative movement between the members; and an annular pressure seal dispqsedin. the-space adjacent to the bearing, said seal having an annular body portion of greater internal diameter than the inner memher-and of lesser external diameter than said outer member so as to be free-floating transversely of the members, resilient, .annular, truncated+cone, reed-type elements. carried by the body. portion and in edgewiseengagement with one of. said. members, annular resilient sealing means compressed between said body portion and theother of said members, and other annular resilient sealingv meanscompressed between the body portionof the seal and said bearing.

7.' A pressure-sealing. construction comprising astationary, outer. cylindrical member; an inner member reciprocable. insaid outer. member; a bearing interposed between said members connected to theouter member and slidably supportingfsaid.inner member; and an annular freefloatingv pressure seal mounted between said members adjacent to the bearing, saidseal having resilient, annular, truncatedecone,reed-type elements in edgewise sealing engagement with said..-inner. member, and. annular resilient sealing means compressed between the seal andsaid outermember.

8.' A pressurersealing construction comprising a stationary outer cylindrical member; an inner member. reciprocable in. saidbuter member; a bearing interposed betweensaid members connected to the outer, member. and slidably supporting.saidfinnermember; and'an annular freefl'o'ating pressure seall mounted between. said members adjacentto the bearing, said seal having resilient, annular,.truncated-cone, reed-type elementsv in edgewise sealin engagement. with said inner member, annular. resilient sealing means compressedbetween theseal'and said outer. member a'nd' annular resilient sealing means compressedibet'ween the seal and said bearing.

RALPHI L. SKINNER.

REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing. references are of? recordlln the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS.

Number Name Date 2,182,226 Geise- Dec. 5.19% 2,385,045 Wallace a. a Sept. 18,,1945 

